ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: Increasing weight, hyperactivity and insomnia

July 13, 2016

{ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS} great research out of the University of Sydney !!! Just so you know – the study was done on fruit flies, but they were able to replicate the findings in mice. They examined how artificial sweeteners (sucralose aka splenda) impact the brain’s response to food intake. They found why using artificial sweeteners might lead people to put on weight -inside the brain’s reward centres, sweet sensation is integrated with energy content. They found there was a complex neuronal network at play that tells the animal it hasn’t eaten enough energy.

The study published in the journal Cell Metabolism show that artificial sweeteners change the way the brain regulates appetite and taste perceptions.

There has been lots of interesting research on artificial sweeteners including how artificial sweeteners change the gut micro biome. While previous studies have already shown an association between people who use artificial sweeteners and eating more, they were able to conclude that if people eat sweeteners and the body doesn’t get the equivalent amount of calories (that the body EXPECTS), we eat MORE food to make up for it!!!!!

“These findings further reinforce the idea that “sugar-free” varieties of processed food and drink may not be as inert as we anticipated. Artificial sweeteners can actually change how animals perceive the sweetness of their food, with a discrepancy between sweetness and energy levels prompting an increase in caloric consumption,” Prof Herzog said.

The study also found the sweetener promoted hyperactivity, insomnia and reduced sleep quality.

The good news is Associate Professor Greg Neely said after three days of not consuming artificial sweeteners bodily responses can be returned to normal.